Nvidia’s vice president Les Karpas spoke at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, emphasizing that the robotics industry is awaiting a breakthrough similar to ChatGPT’s impact on AI. Karpas outlined how conversational AI has transformed software and suggested that robotics could experience a comparable leap with advancements in natural language processing and AI integration, potentially reshaping robot capabilities and adoption.
During his session, Karpas explained that while robotics hardware has advanced steadily, the software side has lagged behind. He pointed to ChatGPT’s success in making AI accessible and useful to a broad audience as a pivotal moment. Karpas argued that robotics needs a similar software breakthrough to unlock new applications and user experiences, highlighting Nvidia’s ongoing investments in AI models tailored for robotic control and interaction.
The robotics sector has seen incremental improvements but lacks a defining software innovation that drives mass adoption. Karpas’s remarks come amid growing interest in AI-powered automation and human-robot collaboration. Nvidia’s focus on AI chips and frameworks positions it to play a key role in this evolution, paralleling how AI language models have accelerated growth in other tech domains. The comparison to ChatGPT underscores the potential for AI to catalyze a new phase in robotics development.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, held this week, featured Karpas among other industry leaders discussing AI’s future. Nvidia’s strategic push into robotics AI reflects broader trends in the sector, with the company aiming to deliver tools that enable more intuitive and capable robots. The event continues through September 18, showcasing innovations that could define robotics’ next chapter.